Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Kathmandu-based ambassadors of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Japanese envoy and UNMIN chief Karin Landgren are visiting Rolpa to attend the discharge function. [break]
Sources said Dahal will fly to Rolpa by a chartered helicopter on Monday while the ambassadors will visit the district by an UNMIN helicopter.
There are altogether 451 disqualified combatants in the Rolpa cantonments. Sources said around 275 are being discharged Monday while the remaining disqualified combatants have already left the cantonments voluntarily.
The discharge of the disqualified, which is a part of the three-year old peace process, had begun on January 7 after two attempts to release them failed following non-cooperation by the Maoists. But a December 16 tripartite agreement between the government, Maoists and the UN Country Team brought the process onto the track.
UNMIN, during its verification in December 2007, had declared 4,008 combatants -- minors and late recruits -- ineligible for integration with security forces. They were supposed to leave the cantonments immediately after the verification.
Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction Bishnu Nepal said that around 40 percent of the disqualified did not attend the formal discharge process as they had already left the cantonments.
"The combatants have expressed their dissatisfaction. There is a possibility that their dissatisfaction may manifest in any form. It is a big challenge," said Nepal, who is involved in the discharge process.
The overall discharge process passed smoothly, except in the Surkhet cantonments where the disqualified combatants angry over the rehabilitation package offered broke chairs. The package includes formal education, vocational training and small business training among other things.
As per the plan, the discharged will contact UN career counselors for the rehabilitation package. At the initial stage, the UN will have 12 such counselors, including 10 outside Kathmandu. The UN has established toll free phones for the convenience of the discharged combatants.
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